All This Is That: The Island of Rhodes, Greece

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

The Island of Rhodes, Greece

The fortress of the Knights of Malta

Rhodes was an interesting and fairly frantic stop on our trip (we were there two nights). Aside from the convergance of tour buses on some archaeological sites, this was by far the most touristy part of our trip so far. There weren't many Americans in Rhodes, but there were thousands of Danes, Germans, Brits, Swedes, Italians, and Greek tourists as well. The beach was crowded and intense. There were a fair number of topless sunbathers, most of them 65 year old Dutch women.

The tourist part of the new town is predicatably garish and crowded. The old town--inside the old Knights of Malta fortress was also heavily touristed, but the fortress was so incredible, you lived with it. For a short period of time, The Knights ruled Rhodes, with seven Garrisions that each spoke a different language. They controlled politics and trade until the Sultan Suleyman sent them packing and claimed the Island for his own empire. The fortress is an incredible stone affair, with a moat that is unbelievably deep and wide. I'd never really toured castles much, so I don't think I'd seen a moat before. Wow. I'll put in a picture of it.

Aside from the fortress and fortification walls, Rhodes has the remnants of an Acropolis, and a heavily reconstructed theatre and stadium. We walked up the hill one night on our way to dinner to check out these ruins (even some of the kids have become ruins buffs by now).

After that, we went to a local place our landlord had recommended for the best chicken and potatoes in Rhodes...in the form of the ubiquitous "gyro." It was great...so great, we went back the next night. In addition to being the cheapest food on our trip, it was a real treat for us on Rhodes, because it was absolutely not a tourist joint. Fortunately, our waiter spoke great English and steered us through ordering. She was also a fan of America in general (as many Greeks seem to be...excepting any love for our President), and asked us lots of questions, and expressed a desire to visit the US soon. And she was incredibly beautiful...appropos of nothing at all.

After two days in Rhodes, we were ready to depart on a turbo-prop for Crete. It was great to be back in Greece, and it was everything I remembered. The retsina, the great salads, and most of all the exuberant and warm Greek people (Hellenikis)...it was nice to renew our acquantance. We flew to Heraklion, Crete, stopped at the ruins at Knossos, and drove a winding mountain pass along the coastline to Sitia, a coastal town with virtually no tourists. We have an apartment here, a block from the beach. That is most welcome because the temperature is hovering in the low 100s. The water is warm, the waves gentle, and there are some great ruins to explore, both in town, and in Zakros (where the second largest Minoan palace is being excavated).

Tomorrow afternoon, we depart Sitia for Santorini, a/k/a Thira, to see that amazing geography for one day and night. Then, we take another boat, and head to Naxon, another small island, and the next to last stop on our trip (Athens is the last). More soon...